Pick A Peck Of Sweet Peppers For The Frying Pan

February 28, 1992|By CASS PETERSON, The New York Times

For all its seasonal freshness, the average garden plot is a study in antiquity. Peas have been cultivated for more than 10,000 years. The Roman Emperor Claudius ate cabbage. Cantaloupes were common enough to be thrown by hecklers in ancient Greece.

The sweet pepper is somewhat more recent. It traveled to Europe from the New World with Spanish explorers (who were far more enthusiastic about hot peppers, which they saw as a substitute for expensive black pepper from the East Indies). They carried the sweet pepper to Naples during the 16th and 17th centuries, where it remained in common use for 200 years.

Since then it has spread considerably, for which we can be grateful. Unfortunately, ``sweet pepper`` for most gardeners is synonymous with bell pepper -- squat and square.

The truth is that bell peppers are like iceberg lettuce -- basically crisp water. They are fine in a salad or on a tray of crudites, but put one in a saute pan and it turns to mush.

I much prefer the elongated varieties that seed catalogs usually call Italian ramshorn, or frying peppers. The flesh is thinner, denser and more intensely flavored, and it holds up to quick cooking without losing its character.

Cubanelle or banana peppers are the type of frying peppers most often represented in the supermarket. The long, pointed fruits are usually picked at the immature stage, when they are light green or yellow.

Depending on the variety, they will ripen to a glowing red, gold or orange, as stunning in the garden as they are on the dinner plate.

A good variety is Corno de Toro (bull`s horn), an heirloom Italian pepper that ripens to either red or bright yellow; mixtures of the two are sometimes sold. (One source for seeds is the Cook`s Garden, P.O. Box 535, Londonderry, Vt. 05148.)

Gleckler`s Seedmen (Metamora, Ohio 43540) offers a supersized selection of Aconcagua, which ripens from light green to cherry red and, at 11 inches, is big enough to take a prize at a county fair.

For gardeners, there are also plenty of hybrid frying peppers available, the chief advantage being that their fruits seems to ripen more quickly than those of the open-pollinated varieties.

Peppers need a long, warm growing season. The best varieties are not commonly available as seedlings at garden centers, but they are easy to start at home.

Don`t overwater, as the roots are susceptible to rot. Go easy on nitrogen fertilizers, which encourage lush foliage at the expense of fruit. A booster of fish emulsion or other mild fertilizer when the plant is in flower should be adequate in most garden soils.